Because He Likes You
by Darling Niahm
Summary: one-shot Sora decides to take his mom's old-school advice when dealing with a bully.


**Because He Likes You**

"MOOOOOOOOM!"

"In the laundry room, honey!"

Sora slammed the front door to his house and stormed into the laundry room looking absolutely livid - nostrils flared, hair more disheveled than usual, and a look in his eyes that could probably kill whoever had infuriated him. His mother continued to calmly transfer clothes from the washing machine to the drier while Sora took a seat on an upturned laundry basket.

"Mom, I have a problem," said Sora, angrily.

"Okay," said the woman, her peaceful voice immediately calming down her teenage son. "Tell me about it."

"It's Riku," Sora began.

"Your best friend?"

Sora snorted. "I don't even know why we feed everyone that stupid 'best friend' bullcrap. With a friend like him, who needs enemies?"

Sora's mother gave him a curious look.

"Everyone thinks it's harmless fun and that we're really competitive but it's not like that at all!" Sora complained. "He beats me at everything and then rubs it in my face and when I finally beat him, he calls me names and trash talks me a lot until no one cares that I actually won anymore! It's like he doesn't want me to be happy so he puts me down about _everything_."

"So he teases you a lot."

Sora nodded, beaming at his mom. He knew his mother would understand! His sense of solidarity with his mother was shattered instantly when he heard her laugh lightly to herself. His smile turned into a glare instantly.

"This isn't funny, Mom," Sora snapped.

She immediately stopped laughing, but a small smile still graced her features. "Well, Sora. When I was your age and younger, whenever a boy picked on someone constantly it's because he liked them."

Soras blue eyes widened in shock. "Mom! That's so kindergarten!"

"To this day, you still cry at the end of Pocahontas," his mom said, coolly, closing the drier and starting the cycle. "Just because you're older doesn't mean you don't react differently to your feelings than when you were little." She lightly kicked the laundry basket her son was sitting on. "Now, get up because I'm about to start your laundry since you're too lazy to do it yourself liked I asked you to last week."

Sora stood up, still mulling his mother's words over in his mind before running out the door again and down to the beach where he was sure all of his friends would be hanging out.

* * *

Riku laughed as he pushed Sora to the ground, having won yet another sword fight. Kairi and Selphie glared at the boys from their seat on the bent palm tree, very upset at the boys constant need to fight and rough house. Couldn't they just sit around and enjoy each other's company (and maybe get some homework done)? Wakka and Tidus were laughing from the bridge where they had watched the whole thing.

Sora stood up with a groan and wiped his lip of the blood that was trickling from the cut he got when he accidentally face-planted into a palm tree while trying to escape a blow from Riku. He glared at the silver-haired boy in front of him.

"I have to admire your determination, Sora," said Riku, giving his brunette "friend" a devious smirk. "But you still suck, no matter how hard you try."

"Riku! That wasn't very nice!" Kairi yelled, disapprovingly.

"Dont even worry about it, Kairi," said Sora, smiling at her before turning his attention back to Riku, a smirk on his face identical to the one the silver-haired teen had. Sora cautiously stepped forward until he was well in Riku's personal space.

Riku glared at him and tried to take a step back, but Sora grabbed his wrist, holding on roughly.

"Are you trying to challenge me _again_?" Riku hissed, his ocean eyes narrowing dangerously as he stared Sora down. "You _just_ lost. Why don't you go home and rest a while before you embarrass yourself again?"

Sora laughed. "I'm challenging you alright, but I'm challenging you to something much different."

Riku raised an eyebrow, curiously.

"I'm challenging you to quit hiding it," Sora practically whispered.

"What are you talking about?" Riku asked.

His answer came in the form of Sora leaning up on the balls of his feet and pressing his warm lips against Riku's slightly chapped lips. Riku's eyes widened with shock while Sora kept his tightly shut. There was a collective gasp from all of their friends. Wakka's jaw dropped while Tidus covered his eyes and turned around to avoid watching the scene.

After a few seconds, Sora pulled back, slowly opening his eyes and he saw Riku standing in front of him, seemingly frozen.

Sora let go of Riku's arm and back away nervously. "R-Riku a-are you... okay?" He asked nervously. _Crap! Mom was wrong! Mom was so totally wrong!_

When Riku finally moved, Sora barely registered it. He saw Riku lunge at him, his fist pulled back, ready to hit him. He didn't remember receiving the punch. All he could remember was the anger in Riku's eyes and darkness.

* * *

"MOOOOOOOOM!" Sora cried, running into the house the next morning, sporting a black eye. He was on the verge of tears as he flung himself into his mother's arms, seeking her comfort. He had spent that night at Kairi's house, having been carried there by Wakka and Tidus since it was the closest house to the beach. Kairi and her mom administered first aid and tried to keep his eye from swelling, but it was unavoidable. He slept there just because he was too exhausted to walk home.

"I'm so glad you're alright, Sora!" his mother said. "When Kairi called last night I was so worried. I can't believe Riku knocked you unconscious! What did you do to provoke him?"

"I kissed him," Sora answered quietly.

Sora's mother pulled him from her embrace and gazed at him directly in the eyes. "Why did you do that?"

"Well, you told me yesterday when a guy is picking on you it's because he likes you," Sora explained "So I thought maybe Riku liked me and I wanted to find out, so I kissed him! If he liked me, he would've kissed me back but noooo, he decked me instead." Sora folded his arms and glared at his mother. "That's the last time I _ever_ take your advice, Mom."

"Oh, honey, I'm so sorry," his mother pulled him into another hug, but the moment was interrupted by a knock at the door. Sora's mother straightened herself up and walked over to the front door, pulling it open.

There stood Riku, looking rather disheveled and very nervous.

"Hello, Riku," the woman said calmly. Deep down, she was apprehensive since the boy had just knocked out her son the night before.

"Hi, ma'm," said Riku, suddenly blushing with embarrassment. "I - uh - I'm really sorry. Can I talk to Sora, please?"

Sora's mother glanced behind her at the brunette who had taken to sitting Indian-style on the floor with arms folded. He glared daggers at the door.

"I don't want to talk to you, jerk!" Sora shouted from his place.

His mother glanced at Riku.

"I just want to apologize for yesterday," said Riku. "I was way out of line."

Sora's mother glanced back at her stubborn son.

"'Sorry' isn't going to bring back the vision in my left eye!" Sora cried, indignantly.

"Honey, the swelling will go down completely in a few days," his mother pointed out, finally fed up with her sons childishness. She opened the door wider, much to Sora's protest. "Come in and talk to him for a minute." She decided to leave the two alone to hash out their differences and headed upstairs.

Riku wearily eyed his friend, sitting on the floor and glaring at him before decided to sit down in the exact same fashion right in front of him. Their knees touched.

"I'm really sorry, Sora," said Riku. "I shouldn't have punched but you have to understand how embarrassing that was. You kissed me in front of all of our friends."

Sora didn't say anything, but looked down, absently toying with his hands in his laps.

"Come on Sora, quit being so stubborn," Riku pleaded. "I don't want you to hate me."

"What's it matter if I hate you?" Sora finally snapped. "You already hate me."

Riku blinked, confused. "I don't hate you, Sora. I've never hated you. In fact I - uh... Just, do you forgive me?"

"No," said Sora, flatly.

The silver-haired teen groaned in frustration. "Why did you have to kiss me in front of everyone anyway, Sora? What were you trying to prove?"

Sora blushed and solemnly swore to himself that he would take his reasoning for the kiss to the grave. He didn't answer Riku and continued to avoid eye contact. "If it makes you feel any better, Riku Almighty, you can take the kiss back and we'll say in never happened and you can go back to being a total douche bag to me," said the brunette. Sora stood up, leaving Riku in the middle of the floor, determined to go to the kitchen and have a snack since he skipped breakfast.

"But I don't want to take it back."

Sora froze for a moment. Did he hear Riku correctly? He shook his head and turned around to discover that Riku had gotten up and was standing directly behind him.

"What did you just say?" Sora asked, his throat suddenly feeling incredibly dry.

"I said I don't want to take the kiss back," Riku replied, shuffling his feet, nervously. "I liked it."

"If you liked it, why did you punch me?" Sora yelled.

"Because it was embarrassing!" Riku yelled back. "I hate PDA okay? You should've kissed me in _private_, not in front of everyone!"

"I didn't even know you wanted me to kiss you!" Sora shouted. Then something clicked in his mind. "Wait, you _wanted_ me to kiss you? Riku, do you -"

"Guilty," said Riku before Sora could even finish his sentence, a blush slowly creeping across his cheeks and the bridge of his nose. Sora blushed as well.

"It's good to finally get it out in the open," said Sora, fidgeting nervously again.

"Yep."

Silence followed, both boys just staring at one another, suddenly nerves getting the best of both of them.

"Sooo... what now?" Sora asked, dumbly.

"Well," said Riku, thinking. "We're alone."

"Well no duh," Sora muttered, rolling his eyes. Riku inched forward and Sora finally understand what he meant. "Oh man, Riku, I am the stupidest kid on earth!"

"You are," Riku said, not bothering to argue. "But that's what I like about you."

He snaked his arms around Sora's waist and lowered his head until he felt his lips connect with the brunette's. Sora froze for a moment before moving his lips against Riku's. The silver-haired boy smiled at Sora's response, applying more pressure to deepen the kiss. Sora's arms found themselves wrapping themselves around Riku's neck in order to pull him closer. Riku's lips parted slightly and he flicked his tongue across Sora's bottom lip. Sora shivered pleasantly at the sensation and eagerly opened his mouth, allowing his partner's tongue to ravage him. Riku moaned as he explored the brunette's warm mouth.

"Ahem!"

Sora quickly (but rather reluctantly) pulled away from Riku and saw his mother standing there with her hands on her hips and tapping her foot, a smug smile on her face.

"Oh, hi Mom!" said Sora, rather embarassed. Riku blushed furiously, detaching himself from the woman's son. "We were just ... you know ... making up?" His mother laughed.

"Don't worry boys, you have my blessing," she said. Sora gave a sigh of relief. "However, making out is not an excuse for getting out of cleaning out the garage today, young man."

Sora groaned while Riku laughed.

"Well I guess I'll see you later so I can start cleaning," Sora mumbled, rather disappointed. Riku gently placed his hand underneath Sora's chin and tilted his head up slightly so he could place one last, chase kiss on Sora's lips before silently taking his exit.

Sora's mother watched proudly as Sora stared longingly after his friend.

"I told you he liked you," she said, a know-it-all grin gracing her features.

Sora turned around and beamed at her. He threw himself into her arms and gave her a peck on the cheek. "You're the best mom and you give the best advice!" He cried before happily skipping away to the garage.

* * *

_Written during class today (the girl beside me was watching She's Just Not That Into You, so the beginning was my main inspiration). Hope you enjoyed!_


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